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Horodlo was a small town, with a small population. The Jewish population was not large, either, but Jewish Horodlo was nonetheless considered important qualitatively. Every Jew of Horodlo was an entire world in his own right.

Let me start with the town rabbi, the great scholar Moshe-Leyb (may his righteous memory be for a blessing), the son-in-law of Rabbi Yekutiel (may his righteous memory be for a blessing), and his wife Fradl (may she rest in peace). This rabbinical dynasty was unbroken for twenty-four generations. He himself was a disciple of the Rabbi of Radzin (may his righteous memory be for a blessing), the author of Orchot Chaim.^[1]

Rabbi Moshe-Leyb had modest requirements, and did not seek – or demand – comfort. He spent countless hours studying and praying. He studied at home, in the House of Study, and in the small Radzin synagogue. Besides caring for the religious needs of the community, he constantly studied. He was a Torah expert, and his knowledge of Mishna (with commentaries) and religious law was famous. He wrote important legal and interpretative works. He led his community faithfully, and accompanied his flock with devotion and love, to the bitter and horrible devastation wrought by Hitler and his accomplices (may their names be blotted out).

Horodlo was known for its students and scholars. Anyone entering the House of Study or the Radzin synagogue on a weekday, let alone on Shabbat, found Jews sitting and studying. The site in the synagogues was impressive, especially on Shabbat and holidays: Jews sat at long tables, dressed in their best, setting aside all

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their mundane worries, and studied. The topics of study were varied: the weekly Torah portion, the Talmud with commentaries, the Mishna, Ein Ya'akov or a book of Hasidism.^[2] On Saturdays and holidays, a Jew of Horodlo spent most of his time praying and studying in the synagogue, the House of Study, or the small Hasidic synagogue.

As one of those who studied in the Hasidic synagogue, I would like to mention the Horodlo Jews who studied there, whom I can remember. I'd like to emphasize that most of these men could study on their own very well, but they preferred to study in pairs or in groups, which helped to clarify the issues, especially of topics that required special attention and thought.

One of these faithful students was Moshe (son of Yisroel Fishl) Stav, who usually studied together with his friend Yerachmiel (son of Aharon Yehuda) Fraynd. Another group consisted of Shimon Vizenberg, Moshe Vizenberg, Ya'akov Vizenberg, and Yehoshua Vizenberg with his son Getsl.

The same small synagogue was the scholarly home of Levi-Yitzchak Zavidovich and his sons (two of whom, Yosef and Yehoshua, now live in Israel) and of Yosef Zavidovich, Levi-Yitzchak's brother (whose daughter lives in Israel and whose son lives in the United States), as well as Ya'akov Goldman, the son of Motl (may he rest in peace).

Another renowned scholar was Yitzchak Blum (known in town as Yitzchak, Melech's son). He taught Talmud, commentaries by the students of Rashi, and by other scholars, to the youths of Horodlo.^[3] I too was his student, together with my friend Moshe (“Munye”) Halperin (son of Elazar Halperin, who was a devoted Hasid and studied in the same small synagogue).

During the period that I studied there, I knew some young men who were remarkable for their incisive thought. These included Aharon Valach (now in Israel, the son of Moshe Mendl – may he rest in peace), Moshe Grosburd (son of Tzvi Grozburd), Pinkhes Ayzen, Aharon Zuberman (the son of

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The Hasidic leader Rabbi Shmuel Shlomo Layner (may his righteous memory be for a blessing; may God avenge his blood), the Rabbi of the Radzin Hasidism, during a visit to Ludmir. Also present are Moshe Mendl Buxenboym, Chaim Dovid Tsuker, Gershon Henech Buxenbaum, and Chaim Berman.

This group of young men was remarkably devoted. Scholars of the House of Study would rise at 4 a.m. and study all day, until midnight, breaking only for food.

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Others in the House of Study group were Yekutiel Zavidovich and his brother, Fishl Zavidovich. I remember one holiday walk that we (Aharon Valach and I, with his father Moshe Valach) took on Shavuot after the midday meal, walking the length of the marketplace. As we walked, Moshe Mendl quizzed us on our knowledge of, and familiarity with, the texts we were studying. Aharon recited from memory about twenty pages of the Chidushei Ha-Rim commentary on the Tosfot “They do not study it for its own sake.”^[5]

Many homeowners, excellent scholars, were important participants in the study at the small synagogue. Among them were Shmuel Zisberg (who was called Shmuel Kay), Leybl Zavidovich, David Bergman, Elazar Halperin, Aharon Chaim Feder, Shimon Biterman, Tzvi Shek, Hillel Shek (Rabbi of Gyavitz), Mendl Lerner (a great scholar and expert), Shmuel Yehuda (who studied at night, and died suddenly while studying, during the week of Pesach).^[6] The first people in the synagogue early the next morning found his body sitting at the Talmud volume, his glasses resting on the open page. Petachya Blat, who made a living thanks to the oil press that he owned, would come in after a hard day's work and devote long hours immersing himself in the text. This was also the habit of Yaakov Zuberman. He owned a bakery, and would come to the synagogue after work, for in-depth Talmud study. Last but not least among the scholars were the pious slaughterers Yaakov Chesner and Mordechai Faygenboym.^[7]

The House of Study offered a similar scene peopled by devoted students and scholars. Those who studied there came from various backgrounds, and consisted of ordinary people, homeowners from different classes, some who had trouble making a living, and artisans and craftsmen. They considered it their duty to spend time studying sacred texts, after long hours of work. One table was used by people studying Talmud, while another was occupied by people studying the Torah with Rashi's commentary. The tables near the large oven were used by people studying the Mishna and Ein Yaakov.^[8]

I remember the following dedicated students at the House of Study:

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Moshe-Mendl Valach was a great scholar, sharp-minded and very knowledgeable. As a lumber merchant, he was occupied in the forest all day, as the representative of a large lumber company. In the evening, on his way back from work, he would stop at the House of Study and spend hours studying eagerly. On Fridays, he would devote almost the entire night to studies. He usually studied standing upright, one foot resting on a bench, discussing fine Talmudic points, with which he was familiar. Another was Shimon Moshe Goldberg and his sons Henech and Shmuel, and his son-in-law Yitzchak Lerner. With them were Aharon Yehuda Ha-Levi Fraynd and sons Yosef, Avrom, and Dovid. Leybish Goldberg, Pinches Berger, David Yosef Zuberman and his sons Leybl Zuberman, Ben-Tziyon Zuberman, and Tzvi Zuberman.

Ya'akov Zuberman and his family: sons, daughters, and grandchildren

The devotion to study exhibited by the Jews of Horodlo is illustrated by the following episode, which I heard from Shimon Vizenberg. The incident had happened to him more than fifty years earlier.

When Rabbi Moshe Leyb was still living with his father-in-law Rabbi Yekutiel (may his righteous memory be for a blessing), Rabbi of Horodlo at the time, he would study at the small synagogue

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until 2 a.m.^[9] Shimon Vizenberg would also conclude his studies at that time, and the two would walk home together.

Once, Rabbi Moshe Leyb forgot to call Shimon when it was time to go home. Shimon was so immersed in his studies that he did not notice Moshe-Leyb's departure. When he realized that he had been left alone, he decided to spend the entire night in the synagogue hall, as he was afraid of walking through the corridor. It was where the plank for preparing bodies for burial was stored. Sometimes a gravestone would be left there before being installed at the cemetery.

That same night, Elazar Dovid's wife was undergoing a difficult childbirth. Her husband and family members went to the small synagogue to tie a thread from the Ark of the Torah to the hand of the woman, as a talisman that would ease childbirth. When Shimon heard the door opening, he remembered the folk tradition that the dead come at midnight to pray in the synagogue. He sprang to the window, broke the pane, and fled. Elazar Dovid's wife gave birth to a daughter that night. When people began coming for morning prayers, they were surprised by the intense cold, and noticed the broken pane. After investigation and attempts to understand the situation, they realized what had happened to Shimon that night, and understood that he had fled through the window.

There was so much beauty in the lives of the Jews of Horodlo who prayed in the great synagogue as well as in the smaller ones.

I will close with a wish: He who told the world that it was finished will tell our troubles the same. Let us witness consolation for those who mourn for Zion!^[10]

Translator's Footnotes

1. This was Rabbi Gershon Chanoch Henech Leiner of Radzyn (1839 - December 15, 1890), the first Rabbi of Radzin. Return
2. Ein Ya'akov is a 16^th-century compilation of Aggadic material in the Talmud, with commentaries. Return
3. Rashi (the acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105) was a French rabbi, who is widely considered the greatest commentator on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible to this day. Return
4. A Melamed is a religious instructor, usually for children. Return
5. The Rim (the acronym of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Rothenburg, 1799-1866) was the founder and first leader of the Ger Hasidic dynasty. The Tosfot are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. The reference is to an item in the Mishna section on bills of divorce (Gittin). Return
6. I was unable to find any town with the name of Gyavitz. Return
7. The ‘slaughterers’ were ritual butchers that prepared kosher meat. The Hebrew term for this role is shochet. Return
8. Large brick ovens are traditionally used in Europe to heat sizeable buildings. Ein Yaakov is a 16^th-century compilation of all the Aggadic material in the Talmud together with commentaries. Return
9. It was customary for fathers of brides to provide room and board for the young family for the first few years of marriage. The term would be set in the marriage contract (Ketubah). Return
10. This is a common phrase of response to a disaster. Return

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The heart floods with blood, and tears choke the throat, when one sits down to write about the town of Horodlo. You are writing about your home town, where you were born, where you enjoyed the springtime of your life, and had so many dreams, wove so many plans…

You left behind your nearest and dearest, your childhood and your youth. You parted from a living Jewish town, with all its Jewish charms, stored deep in your heart, so longed for, and now you are setting down your memories of it… True, memories are the only thing that remains of a life that was, and of those who lived…

It gnaws at your heart, pulls at your soul. You're dipping your pen not only in ink but also in blood and tears that suffuse your very being, as you try to set down at least a partial memorial to the home town that was Horodlo.

Horodlo was a historic town, and for a short time – even the capital of a bygone Poland, during the reign of King Jagiełło.^[1] The old city park, on the road to Uściług, contained a remnant of the royal palace, and, in fact, the park bore the name of the king.

The Jewish population of Horodlo consisted of 150 families, which included about 1250 individual.

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Synagogues

The Great Synagogue in the center of town was the tallest structure in town, and remarkable for its height and beauty. Its thick walls were built of stone, the windows were vaulted and very impressive, and it had the general appearance of an ancient fortress. The Ark of the Torah was magnificent, and its decorations reached to the heights. The large bimah and its ornamentation were also striking. A sense of majesty suffused the structure.

This was where the town rabbi prayed, and an honored seat was set aside for him, at the eastern wall, near the Ark of the Torah.

The small synagogue of the Radzin Hasids and the small synagogue of the artisans were inside the building. There was also a House of Study in the town, a synagogue of Turiisk (Trisk) Hasids, and a small synagogue where Zionist youth prayed. Both the small synagogue and House of Study were used by young men and homeowners who studied Torah until late at night. The study chant could be heard outside, in the nearby streets.^[2]

There were three Jewish cemeteries in Horodlo. One was on the road to Strzyżów, and the other two were very old, one on the road to Uściług, and another near the Bug River. The one near the river (not far from the market) was the oldest of the three, and its ancient gravestones attested to the antiquity of the Horodlo Jewish community. The cemetery on the road to Uściług was termed “the old cemetery,” and the gravestones there dated to a remote, bygone past.

My father (may his memory be for a blessing) told us that the landowner – whose properties included the “old cemetery” – once wanted to repurpose the area, plow it up, and use it for planting. But

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an extraordinary thing happened: the horses yoked to the plow died before they could begin their task.

As I recall, in 1935 the landowner Wieszwicki sold his property, including the cemetery (for use as a field to plant grain). The town rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Leyb Berman (may his righteous memory be for a blessing) and my father, Yosef Bergman (may his memory be for a blessing) visited him and requested that the cemetery not be sold. They told him what had happened to the previous landowner's horses when he wanted to desecrate the cemetery. The current landowner burst out laughing.

A few days later, he called for my father (may his memory be for a blessing) and informed him that he was giving the cemetery to the Jewish community, as he feared a disaster would happen there. He added that a few days earlier he had suddenly become ill and had had to stay in bed.

Every time we strolled down the Uściług road, we would visit the cemetery and study the inscriptions on the partially sunken gravestones. The inscriptions on some stones were 150 years old.

A low earthen mound not far from the House of Study was fenced and had an aura of mystery. The Jews of Horodlo said that the mound was the resting place of a newly wed couple who had died on one and the same night. They also said that the author Ansky had visited the site before he wrote The Dybbuk, and had wanted to hear all about the mysterious mound.^[3]

In my time, the town rabbi was Moshe-Leyb Berman (may his righteous memory be for a blessing). He was renowned throughout Poland for his knowledge and standing, and the Horodlo community was proud to have such a great and venerated spiritual leader at its head.

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Our town also had two ritual slaughterers (shochets) who were pious and scholarly, and of exemplary character: Yaakov Chesner and Mordechai Faygenboym (may their memory be for a blessing). The rabbi and the slaughterers were eminent Radzin Hasids.

There were five cheders in Horodlo, where Jewish boys aged 5-13 received their first Jewish education, typically comprising Hebrew, Torah, and Mishna^[4]. They entered the system gradually. A boy who reached cheder age began in the youngest age group, and started learning

Children near the home of Mates the Melamed. Zelig Zeyf is visible on the terrace.

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Hebrew, staying there until they were old enough to study Talmud. They would then transfer to a higher-level cheder, where they studied Talmud for several years. When judged to be prepared, they would begin studying with Rabbi Yosef Shmuel – a learned and knowledgeable scholar, who taught the boys Talmud with commentaries and Yoreh De'ah.^[5] Another option was study with Rabbi Yitzchak (Melech's son), another great scholar who taught Talmud with medieval commentaries.

A Jewish boy who had gone through the various cheders, and studied with Yosef Shmuel or Yitzchak (Melech's son), was considered a scholar and could study on his own, in the House of Study or a small synagogue.

Horodlo did not have a Jewish school that offered general studies, except for a short time. Anyone who wanted to acquire general knowledge had to study with private tutors who were brought to Horodlo by those who were interested; they changed often. Local Hebrew teachers were Fishl Blay and Mordechai Fraynd, in addition to others who were brought into the town.^[6]

The vast majority of the Jews in town were Hasids, and most of them belonged to the Radzin group; they were usually in charge of religious affairs in town. Others belonged to the Trisk, Ger, and Belz groups.

The Radzin Rabbis Mordechai Yosef Elazar Layner (may his righteous memory be for a blessing, may God avenge his blood) occasionally visited Horodlo. Others who visited were the Trisk Rabbis Velvele (may his righteous memory be for a blessing) and Nunyele (may his righteous memory be for a blessing). When the Hasidic leaders visited, the town took on a festive air.

Other visitors in the town were emissaries from the Land of Israel, from the Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNess (may his merit protect us) organization.^[7] The organization's representatives in Horodlo were

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Shimon Biterman (may his memory be for a blessing) and Mordechai Faygenboym (may his memory be for a blessing). Naturally, the visit of such an emissary was an important occurrence and aroused much interest.

Similarly to every Polish town, Horodlo had an organized Jewish community that ran Jewish affairs, and supervised religious needs. The community was recognized by the Polish authorities as the body responsible for the town's religious institutions.

During my time, the community heads were Petachya Blatt and Aharon Chaim Feder, both belonging to the Radzin Hasidic group.

The community also had the municipal bathhouse, with the Jewish ritual bath alongside. Moshe Vortsl and Beryl Holts were in charge of the ritual bath. There was also a hostel for wayfarers (personally supported by Yaakov Boymeyl) for indigent travelers. The community was in charge of the chevra kadisha (burial society), which was managed by Yizchak Blum.

The council consisted of 24 members: twelve Poles, six Ukrainians, and six Jews. The last Jewish representatives were Pinkhes Berger, Yosef Bergman (my father, may his memory be for a blessing), Aharon-Leyb Fraynd, Shimon Biterman, Yehoshua Ayzen, and Mendl Lerner.

The town had a Tarbut library, and comprised Hebrew and Yiddish books. It was the focal point of Zionist activities, and fund-raising for Zionist institutions such as Keren Kayemet, Keren Ha-Yesod, and Keren Tel-Chai.^[9] The library functioned within the framework

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of the Zionist youth organizations He-Chalutz, Beitar, and the Union of Artisans. The Library management offered various study courses such as Hebrew, Bible, talks about literature and politics, dramatic readings and other cultural activities. An amateur drama group connected with the library presented historical and social performances.

After branches had been established of the Zionist Organization and the Zionist Keren-Kayemet and Keren Ha-Yesod, emissaries from the Land of Israel would occasionally come to raise funds on their behalf.^[10] The arrival of such an emissary aroused much interest among young people and excitement among Zionist activists. I remember the visit of the Keren Kayemet delegate, Yaakov Melamed (may his memory be for a blessing), and his meetings concerning Zionism with members of the synagogue, as well as the lecture he gave in Hebrew to young Zionists. His visit and the meetings aroused national feelings among the Jews of Horodlo.

There were many committees and institutions for charitable, social, and Zionist activities. Among them was a women's association whose mission was to provide light breakfasts and milk for cheder students and poor children in general. During the years of World War I, an aid committee was set up by the “Joint,” to supply food and clothing to the needy.^[11] They also ran a food kitchen. Shabtai Shek, Aharon Zuberman, Ben-Tziyon Zuberman, and Aharon Valach were members of the committee.

The first library was founded by Nokhem Berger, Henech Berman, Ben-Tziyon Zuberman, Aharon Zuberman, Shlomo Zuberman,

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Tzvi Zuberman, Henech Zuberman, Fishl Davidovitsh, Aharon Stav, Dovid Fraynd, and Aharon Valach (now living in Israel).

The Tarbut library was founded by Henech Zuberman, Tzvi Zuberman, Shlomo Zuberman, Binyomin Berger, Dovid Fraynd, Yitzchak Fraynd, Ben-Tziyon Bergman, Bluma Zuberman, Gitl Berger, Malka Valach, Rokhl Zuberman, Hinda-Rivka Stav (now living in Uruguay), Perl Biderman (now living in Brazil).

A local branch of HeChalutz was established by Ben-Tziyon Bergman (now living in Argentina), Moshe Zuberman (now living in Israel), Rokhl Zuberman (now living in Argentina), Michael Berger, Avrom Kulish (now living in Israel).^[12] Among its members were Efrayim Ayzen, Aryeh Shtayn, Yehoshua Zisberg, Yehoshua Berger, Moshe Zavidovich, Pinches Varman, Shmuel Harfin, and Shmuel Vagshal.

Members of HeChalutz had to undergo physical and agricultural training before their emigration to Palestine. Horodlo members who took this training course were: Ben-Tziyon Bergman, Moshe Zuberman (in Bilgoray), Shmuel Vagshal (in Baranavichy), Yehoshua Zisberg, Shmuel Harfin, Aryeh Shtayn, and Avrom Kulish (in Skryhiczyn).

The candidates for emigration had to pass an examination at the end of their training course. These were held at various sites, including Zamość. Candidates from Horodlo who took that examination (in which Mr. Dobkin, the director of the HeChalutz took part) included Moshe Zuberman, Avrom Kulish, and Ben-Tziyon Bergman.

The Beitar youth movement: A branch of Beitar was formed in Horodlo in 1929, after a Beitar convention in which delegates from the following nearby towns participated: Hrubieszow, Ludmir, Uściług, and Uchańe.^[13] Its founders were Eliezer Lerner, Shimon Zuberman, Tzvi Zaltzman, Yosef Zavidovich (now living in Israel), Fishl Gertl (now living in Canada), Shimon Goldberg, Michael Bergman (now living in Argentina), Tzvi

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Members of the Beitar Youth Movement in Horodlo

After some Beitar members joined HeChalutz Ha-Mizrachi, and others moved away from Horodlo, the branch was led by younger members: Moshe Zuberman, Moshe Chaim Bergman, Eliyahu Grosburd, Yitzchak Shruver, Fishl Fraynd, Shmuel Fraynd, Yekutiel Zavidovich, Rokhl Grosburd, Etel Sherer, Moshe Harfin, Shmuel Link, Moshe Zisberg, Shimshon Fraynd, Libe Bernshteyn, Yaakov Shruver, Moshe Shruver, and Fishl Rozenblum.^[14]

The branch was very active and organized sports and cultural events. The 11^th day of Adar – the anniversary of the death of Yosef Trumpeldor, the hero of Galilee – was celebrated with great ceremony.^[15] The branch members would hold a military march, which concluded in the Great Synagogue with a memorial service for Trumpeldor and his fallen comrades. These Beitar activities made a tremendous impression on the town's residents.

Revisionist Zionism: Some time afterwards, a branch of Revisionist Zionism was established in town, by

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Ben-Tziyon Bergman (chairman), Shmuel Zuberman, Binyomin Berger, and Aryeh Herbst (secretary).^[16]

The Artisans' Association: The wave of social organization included the artisans, who had traditionally not been organized. They created

A Beitar group in Horodlo

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the artisans' association. The leaders of the association were Yechiel Sherer (chairman), Efrayim Ayzen, Ya'akov Mederdrut (now living in Argentina), and Mordechai Sofer (now living in Canada).

Keren Kayemet, Keren HaYesod: A local branch was established by Tzvi Zuberman, Aryeh Herbst, Yitzchak Fraynd, Mordechai Zuberman, Ben-Tziyon Bergman (chairman of HeChalutz), and Yechiel Sherer (chairman of the artisans' association). The first meeting of the Keren Kayemet activists was held in the home of Shmuel Goldberg. The following members were elected to the first local committee:

Yehoshua Kupershtoko

The Tel Chai Fund^[17]: Members and sympathizers of the Revisionist movement created the Tel Chai Fund. The authorized leader was Ben Tziyon Bergman, Aryeh Herbst was secretary, and Binyomin Berger the treasurer. Shmuel Zuberman was also a member of the branch management.

Before I left for Argentina, the central committee of the Fund in London sent us an honorary certificate signed by Jabotinsky (may his memory be for a blessing), recognizing my devoted work for the fund.

Horodlo was surrounded by farming villages, which had Jewish residents. These families, whose livelihood forced

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Efrayim and Eliyahu Kupershtok, the sons of Yehoshua Kupershtok

After Keren Kayemet and Keren HeYesod were established in the town, we included them in our fund-raising activities. We supplied them with Keren Kayemet and Keren HaYesod collection boxes, and would send our members to empty the boxes. Thus, we all shared in Zionist activities.

Jewish families lived in the villages of Strzyżów, Rybne, Kowal, Kopyłów, Łysek, Mącice, Łuszków, Usiniv, and Janki.

There was a large sugar factory in Strzyżów,

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owned by a Polish company that employed many Poles. Before Pesach, the owners would invite our rabbi to render the factory Kosher for the holiday. The rabbi would appoint the following supervisors: Shmuel Herbst, Yosef Bergman, and Yehuda Biterman.

Once World War I was over, a social and national revival began among the young people of Horodlo. News that a Jewish Legion had been established at the initiative of Jabotinsky (may his memory be for a blessing) spread through the town.^[18] This word of an armed Jewish force, which fought the Germans and the Turks alongside the British army, sparked nationalist excitement among the young people of Horodlo. Local youth groups organized in the town, practiced military exercises, and taught them to others in the town. On one occasion, we were arrested by the authorities because of these activities, and were released thanks to the efforts of my father (may his memory be for a blessing).

When the new Polish state was created in 1918, nationalistic feelings increased among the Poles, accompanied by animosity towards Jews. The authorities attacked the library and arrested us on the pretext that we were carrying out Communist activities in the space. One again, we were freed thanks to my father's efforts.

As I recall, all the synagogue caretakers spoke nasally, walked with a limp, or stammered. I remember our joy as children and teenagers when a mocking version of a Hanukah song began, “He walks, he lights, he burns, the caretaker burns.”^[19] I conducted this “choir” when the blessings were said; the caretaker always made mistakes in the blessings. So he was always annoyed with me – though secretly pleased, because the “choir” concealed his mistakes

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from the congregation.

Whenever there was a Sholem-Zachar or Sheva-Brachot celebration in town, or calling on a bridegroom to read from the Torah, the caretaker would rap on the lectern on Friday evening when prayers were concluded, and announce that so-and-so was inviting the congregation to a sholem-zachar or a circumcision ceremony.^[20] He would confuse the topics and the announcement came out topsy-turvy.

I would get him going, and it was very lively in town afterwards. The caretakers were Moshe Vortsl (he was also in charge of the ritual bath), Yaakov Matsher, Mordechai Shammes, and Alter Shek.

Oh, how can one forget the town and its Jews, when it lives on with you and in you?

Even though so many years have passed, and so many events separate you from your youth, your town accompanies you wherever you go. It lies deep within your heart and mind, and will never leave you for the rest of your life.

Translator's Footnotes

1. Wladyslaw II Jagiello (14^th-15^th centuries) was an important king of Poland. Return
2. The Trisk Hasidic Dynasty originated in the city of Turiisk, located today in the Ukraine. Return
3. Shloyme Zanvl Rapoport (1820-1920), known by his pseudonym S. Ansky, was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, and cultural and political activist. He wrote the play The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds between 1913 and 1916. The play, which depicts the possession of a young woman by the malicious spirit – known as a Dybbuk in Jewish folklore – of her dead beloved, became a canonical work of both Hebrew and Yiddish theater, and was translated and performed around the world. Much of the action is set in a Jewish cemetery. Return
4. A cheder is a religious school for Jewish children. The Mishna is the first major compilation of rabbinic literature. Return
5. A 16^th-century compilation of Jewish law. Return
6. Traditional Jewish education did not offer Hebrew as a subject of study. Return
7. Rabbi Meir was a Jewish sage who lived in the Land of Israel in the second century C.E. and according to tradition was buried in Tiberias. He is considered to have been a miracle-worker, and requests for help are placed at his tomb. Charities also bear his name. Emissaries from these charities often visit Jewish communities to collect donations. Return
8. Tarbut was a network of secular Zionist educational institutions that functioned in Poland in the interwar period; the language of instruction was Hebrew. Return
9. These are charitable organizations dedicated to supporting the emigration of Jews to the Land of Israel, and assisting their settlements. Return
10. Keren Kayemet LeIsrael is better known as the Jewish National Fund. It was established in 1901, is a non-profit organization that buys and develops land for Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. Keren Ha-Yesod, (established in 1920 and now known as United Israel Appeal) supports programs and projects that meet the challenges facing the State of Israel and Jews throughout the world. Return
11. The JDC (Joint Distribution Committee, familiarly known as the “Joint”), is a Jewish relief organization founded in New York City in 1914, and providing support to Jews throughout the world. Return
12. HeChalutz (“the pioneer”) Jewish youth movement (founded 1918) trained young people for agricultural settlement in British Mandate Palestine. The training courses were held in various agricultural locations. Return
13. Beitar is the acronym of a right-wing Revisionist Zionist Jewish youth movement founded in Riga, Latvia in 1923 by Vladimir (Zev) Jabotinsky. Return
14. HeChalutz Ha-Mizrachi was a youth movement of religiously observant Zionists. Return
15. Yosef Trumpeldor (1880-1920) was an early Zionist activist who helped to organize the Zion Mule Corps in the British army, and bring Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Trumpeldor died defending the Galilee settlement of Tel Chai in 1920 and subsequently became a Jewish national hero. Return
16. Revisionist Zionism is a form of Zionist characterized by territorial maximalism, such as on both sides of the Jordan River. Return
17. This monetary fund was originally established in the wake of the 1929 riots in Palestine. It was initially dedicated to training young Jews in self-defense and took its name from a former Jewish settlement in northern Israel that was the site of an early battle in which the founder of Zionist Revisionism, Joseph Trumpeldor, had been killed. Return
18. The Jewish Legion was a military formation of Jewish volunteers in World War I who fought in the British Army (1915-1918) for the liberation of the Land of Israel from Turkish rule. Return
19. I could not find a source for this song. Return
20. A Sholem-Zachar celebration is held on the first Friday night after the birth of a baby boy. Sheva-Brachot are seven special blessings that complete the wedding ceremony and can extend to the festive meals during the week after the wedding. Return

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